Endangered: The Key Deer Trivia Quiz

Answer: subspecies

Key deer are a subspecies of the white-tailed deer, which ranges across much of North and South America. They are red-brown in color, and the bucks grow and shed antlers every season. Key deer are generally similar in appearance to other white-tailed deer, but are notably smaller, with smaller antlers and stockier bodies.

Answer: Florida

Key deer are so-called because they inhabit the Florida Keys, the southernmost part of the continental United States. There are no records of deer being introduced to the region, so it is believed that deer migrated to the region during the Wisconsinan glaciation (11-85,000 years ago). Eventually, they adapted to the environment, forming a distinct subspecies of deer.

Answer: smallest North American deer

While small, Key deer are not the smallest of all deer -- that distinction is held by the pudu. Nonetheless, Key deer are the smallest of their subspecies as well as the smallest deer in North America. Males weigh 55-75 lb (25-34 kg) while females weigh 44-64 lb (20-29 kg). Even the largest of Key deer are considerably smaller than other white-tailed deer, where the males are generally 130-290 lb (60-130 kg) and the females, 88-198 lb (40-90 kg).

Answer: generally solitary

Many white-tailed deer form elaborate, complex social units. Key deer do not. Key deer are generally solitary for most of the year; bucks usually associate with does only during the mating season. Does sometimes group together, but only briefly. Key deer are usually not territorial, and conflicts are usually limited to bucks fighting over a doe. Key deer will sometimes congregate in areas, but that is usually attributable to human influence such as feeding.

Answer: fresh water

Like most island areas, the Florida Keys abound with water -- just not fresh water. Key deer have more tolerance for salt water than most deer, but they still need fresh water to drink. The issue of water is the major driving factor in where Key deer live among the Keys. During the wet season, they can be found in nearly any environment in their habitat, but during the dry season they will retreat to areas like pine rocklands, which contain year-round reliable sources of fresh water.

Answer: less

It's very rare for a white-tailed deer to celebrate its 20th birthday in the wild, but it does happen. Key deer, however, have never been known to live for nearly as long. The maximum age that a Key deer has been known to live is 9 years. Key deer usually live for 3-6 years, as do most white-tailed deer; disease and predators contribute to their short life spans. Because of their short life spans, they mature rapidly, and are able to breed by the time they are 1-2 years old.

Answer: Route 1

Route 1 runs down the entire length of the eastern US, from Fort Kent, Maine, all the way down to Key West, Florida. It is the only physical connection the Florida Keys have to the mainland US, and it runs through the Key deer's limited range. This in turn has become a major contributor to the Key deer mortality rate, with as much as 70% of Key deer deaths being attributable to becoming road kill.

Answer: dogs

Key deer were hunted by people for centuries, but overhunting had reduced their population to as little as 25 by the 1950s. A strictly enforced hunting ban allowed their numbers to rebound to several hundred. Since the hunting ban, dogs (both domestic and feral) have been the main predator of the Key deer. Dogs kill a handful of Key deer each year, preying mainly on fawns and sometimes chasing the small deer into traffic.

Answer: hot dogs and gum

Yes, Key deer have been observed eating such highly inappropriate foods as hot dogs and gum. It's actually a serious issue because it can interfere with their natural nutrition and make it difficult for them to remain healthy. It also makes them very comfortable around people, and bringing them into contact with people can cause accidental deaths. Feeding Key deer has been illegal since 1982, though people still do it on occasion.

Answer: No Name Key

Key deer once ranged throughout the Florida Keys, but now reside on only a handful of them. The largest populations of Key deer are found on Big Pine Key and No Name Key, in part due to the year-round abundance of water on those islands. The near-extinction of the Key deer resulted in the establishment of National Key Deer Refuge on those two islands in 1967.

It provides critical habitat for Key deer and many other threatened species in the Florida Keys.